


Shelter

by LazarusII



Category: Shelter: The Animation (2016 Short Film), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Brothers, Earth, Emotions, Family, Hope, Loneliness, M/M, Outer Space, Post-Apocalypse, Reflection, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Virtual Reality, bts is a family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-05-29 06:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15067208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazarusII/pseuds/LazarusII
Summary: Taehyung floats in outer space, confined within a capsule and living inside a virtual world. The day that Earth ended is a raw memory, one that sits in the back of his mind, preventing him from losing himself to the wonders of technology.





	Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> Rated teen and up for the emotional turmoil and potential topics briefly mentioned.  
> No particularly colorful language here. Also not beta read, so I apologize. 
> 
> As a fair warning, I changed a bit when it comes to both the animation and the family/backstory of the BTS members. Also, the year is in the future, but they will be younger... if that makes any sense xD
> 
> The setting I put in Nagasaki Japan (it's where I grew up)
> 
> Note, I will continue editing this. I just needed to post it because the draft will expire tomorrow :) 
> 
> Also, this was thrown together last minute, so don’t expect my best writing!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_"You got this Taehyung!"_

_"Come on!"_

_"Give him a good shot, Seokjin!"_

The cheap rubber ball rolled between Taehyung's legs, brushing his right ankle as it fell through his defenses and into the goal. In a delayed attempt to deflect the object, Taehyung dropped to the ground, knowing that, yet again, he was far too late. A cry of protest left his lips and he slammed fists to the rough dirt. Laughter filled the air, making his ears burn. He looked at his hands, pretending to admire the streaks of dirt and raw skin that created a patchwork across his palm. It was embarrassing... Especially after Jungkook's turn as the 'goalie'. 

A shadow fell over him, causing Taehyung to look up. 

It was Seokjin. The older boy offered his hand down to Taehyung, a smile playing about his lips. 

"Hey, it happens to all of us," the older boy said with a shrug, "at least you weren't here when Suga was whipping me at basketball for the first time."

The world stopped, frozen like a disc with too many scratches, catching Seokjin mid-sentence. 

Taehyung reached for the hand, staring up into Seokjin's smiling, handsome face. His gaze swept over the dark hair and eyes, remembering the last time he'd seen them. Maybe this once, that hand would actually be there. Maybe there would be more than just the pixilated remnants of a half-forgotten memory. The hand was there, right in front of him, just like the trees surrounding the park, the dirt, and the soccer ball. Maybe there would be warmth, just this once. 

He reached for Seokjin's hand with his own, but where their skin would have met, his fingers passed through nothing but air. It was a hologram: a lie. 

Silently, Taehyung rose to his feet, turning towards Hoseok and Jungkook who stood on the sidelines, cheering him on. Both boys were frozen and sported similar joyful expressions, arms raised above their heads as they punched the sky. 

He sighed, moving over to Jungkook’s side, poking at the maknae’s cheek. Years ago, doing that made the boy giggle. They’d laughed at the way it made his nose scrunch up...

Beside Jungkook, Hoesoek was in an especially strange pose, as though he were levitating off of the ground. His -dyed- pink hair looked like it has been attacked by a staticky fleece blanket, adding a wildness to him that simply did not match the squinty-eyed “yelling face” that he wore. 

Sadness filled Taehyung’s heart and he strode to the nearest park bench where he had left his tablet. 

Virtual reality was a double-edged sword, serving as both an opportunity to live in a dream... and be haunted by it. 

Taehyung rewound the memory and rewatched his younger self be beaten at soccer over and over again. Then, when Hoseok’s turn came, he watched the other boy fail as well. 

He wished he had been there when Yoongi had beaten Seokjin at basketball. Taehyung would have cherished it alongside all the ones of his friends and family.

But, like so much of his life, it was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Jimin laughed, falling the floor as the pain-filled water balloon exploded against his white shirt. Great bursts of blue splashed his face and covered his chest. Namjoon doubled over with mirth, dripping with yellow paint, courtesy of Jimin’s paint balloon which he had thrown only moments before.

Taehyung ran forwards, arms full of fresh balloons, his tablet sitting on a nearby bench, abandoned. A smirk crossed his lips as he dumped his armload of paint onto Jimin’s smaller body. Namjoon sat down hard, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. 

Taehyung gave the smaller boy a half-smile and then ran for his life. 

With a growl, Jimin launched himself off of the ground, sending showers of multicolored paint in all directions,  tearing after Taehyung as fast as his legs could carry him. Jungkook, who had been dancing around Yoongi, spotted the chase and joined it with enthusiasm, aiming a parting shot back at the older hyung now behind him. Laughing, Taehyung raised his arms above his head and whooped loudly. 

They played for hours, finding endless new and creative ways to keep the fun going for even longer. 

The “fun”, however, ended rather early for Taehyung. Far earlier than it should have. 

Sometimes, lost in memory, and living in the moment, he would forget that the world was no more...

And then suffer the cruel wake up call soon after.

Running as hard as he could, Taehyung rounded the basketball hoop and looked up just in time to see a very excited Jungkook barreling right at him. He backpetaled, raising his arms in order to cushion the impact -but it never came.

Nevertheless, Taehyung felt himself fall, but this time, it was a slow fall, one driven by his knees. 

Nothing was real anymore, he had forgotten. Of _course_. 

Slowly, his head fell into his hands, shoulders shaking softly. All around him, the party continued. But nothing touched him as he sat in its center, tears falling down his face.Twice, his brothers ran through him. The young Tae -the Tae from the past- even ran through him. 

But the Taehyung that mattered could not feel a thing. And for that, he wept.

 

* * *

 

It was a beautiful morning in the mountains. Full from weeks of rain, the trees positively glowed with a radiant, fluorescent green only seen during -or shortly after- the rainy season.

Taehyung sat on the deck of a small, rustic cottage, his bare feet casually swinging off of the edge. He gazed upwards at the lazy clouds drifting by and reached up as though to touch one.

“Eight-hundred days...” He murmured to himself. 

Absent mindedly, he pulled the tablet to his lap from where it has been resting on the hard bamboo planks. With a tap, the screen flickered to life. 

First, he checked the messages: nothing.

Sighing, he pulled up the creative program and browsed  through it. Every so often, he paused, eyeballing a certain landscape, mentally conjuring the image in his head. 

Finally he reached one worthy of his attention and long-pressed the small window on the screen, watching as a small box appeared. 

 

_Are you sure you would like to proceed?_

 

_Yes || No_

 

He hesitated. 

He had been prolonging this for some time. 

Program “ _Fall_ ” was its name. It was the only recording of Taehyung’s last day on Earth. 

His finger hovered over the “yes” button before he threw the tablet aside with a cry. Softly, he whimpered and buried his head in his arms. 

“I can’t do this,” he said to himself, choking. 

Quietly, he pulled the tablet back to his side and changed the program to a rooftop in Seoul. The sun doubled in intensity and he hissed softly as he adjusted the time. 

The sun teleported to the horizon, flooding the city with the pink, orange, and purple hues of twilight. 

Taehyung almost smiled. 

It suited his mood much better.

 

* * *

 

He was back on the Seoul rooftop when the impact came, hard and swift. This time, however, it was day. 

With a great rumble, the world seemed to spin, throwing both Taehyung and the tablet off of solid ground in seconds. Screaming, he had fumbled for the tablet and began to panic when the hardware had plummeted far from his reach. 

He passed the smaller rooftops, speeding past the layers  of  windows at a breakneck speed. He saw the buses, cars, and people rushing towards him. Then, there was the pavement. 

The ground. 

Could he die in a program? He had, surprisingly, never tested that theory. 

When the ground came, he felt it, but rather like he was falling through jello. 

There was a bright flash and a blinding shower of sparks. 

And darkness. 

  

* * *

 

 

Taehyung awoke in a chair, his arms pulled in front of him to the point where it was almost painful. Winching, he attempted to blink the darkness from his vision, but it persisted. 

Choosing to ignore his aching head, he looked down and nearly choked.

Emaciated arms...? Who’s body was-

He felt the sensation and screamed. At the same moment, another violent impact rattled his bones.

There had not been time to look around, to breathe, to even register what had just happened. 

Everything had just gone dark again. 

 

* * *

 

 

Hands.

Light.

Taehyung cracked open an eye and closed it just as quickly. 

There were people in front of him. 

A hand groped at his neck and he instinctively shied away from it, tucking his chin into the crook of his shoulder. 

“He’s alive,” came a deep voice came from above him.

It took Taehyung a moment for it to redgister.

Someone had _touched_ him? 

How...

He opened his eyes, ignoring the tears that welled up as the bright light burned him like fire. 

Taehyung was back in that terribly thin body, but this time he could see the cables and wiring attached to him... and the very revealing robe that scarcely covered him.

“Tae!”

”Oh my god it’s him!”

”Hyung!” 

“We never thought we’d find you!”

Hands tugged at the wires on his arms, pulling away at the needles and patches that lined them. Moments later, he felt himself being roughly pulled from the seat and into several sets of arms.

The next thing he knew, he was surrounded. Someone’s head was in his shoulder, two were behind him... 

He began to count slowly, eyes still streaming. 

Six.

There were six people hugging him...

”We missed you so much Tae!” Sobbed Seokjin, staring into Taehyung’s face, tears running down his own. 

A sob began to build inside of Taehyung’s throat as he took in the people around him. 

They were all different, taller, and much thinner... but they were all there. 

“This has to be a trick,” Taehyung whispered.

He reached out and grasped the nearest person’s hand -Jungkook’s. Warmth spread from where their skin met and Taehyung felt a tear roll down his face. 

The person directly behind him was shaking, holding his waist and slowly staining the light robe with tears. Taehyung‘s mouthed fell open, recognizing Hoseok. Two people were practically assaulting him from the side and he almost fell when one of them pressed even closer. Yoogni’s hair was barely visible from over Seokjin’s broad shoulders. Next in line were Namjoon and Jimin, both of whom had adopted similar ideas as Hoseok. Jungkook was behind him, inadvertently performing the Heimlich maneuver whenever he tried to move.

Taehyung

 sighed, tipping his head back and breathing in. His brothers continued to embrace him, nearly crushing his body. The fact that he felt every elbow and bony hip spoke volumes. 

A whisper crossed his lips and he smiled for the first time in a long time. 

“I’m home.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, questions, comments, kudos, and constructive criticism are welcomed! 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
